Abstract
The lifelong and complex nature of autism necessitates an array of services and supports spanning across different sectors and providers at different life stages of an autistic individual. However, research has shown that autistic individuals and their families often experience barriers accessing the autism-related services and supports that they need. This is the first qualitative study to explore the provision and coordination of autism services and supports in Singapore from the perspectives of service providers, autistic adults and caregivers. Semi-structured interviews with 21 participants revealed three main themes: (1) improving access to autism-specific services, (2) creating flexible supports in an inclusive environment and (3) addressing stigma and changing societal attitudes. Our findings suggest that Singapore may have achieved rapid growth in autism services, but broader social structures may be slower to change. To better support autistic individuals in society, autistic voices need to be amplified and a collective effort is needed to achieve a paradigm shift from impairment to capability.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2279 - 2290 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Autism |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 8 |
Early online date | 28 May 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National University Health System (NUHS) Singapore Population Health Improvement Centre (SPHERiC).
Keywords
- autism services and supports
- autistic adults
- caregivers
- qualitative research
- service providers
- Singapore